In order to extend the business season at ski resorts, a number of operators have installed downhill slides to attract summer patronage. Examples of slides and associated sleds are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,858,517 and 3,973,785. In operation sleds and riders are carried up the mountain on the ski lift. The sled and rider, who controls the sled speed, then proceed down the slide which begins near the upper lift station and terminates at the lower station. The slide may extend laterally quite far from the lift and thus can be considerably longer than the lift.
Many of these slide installations have become very popular. However, several disadvantages and limitations have become obvious in existing slides. It is possible for the sled to leave the track and thus injure the rider and damage the sled. The braking systems are limited by the slide materials and the constraints of the sled-slide brake system. Braking in general is not good and under wet conditions is completely inadequate. In many installations as soon as rain begins all sleds must be stopped and removed from the slide wherever they are along the incline and the rider has to walk down the hill. Another disadvantage of current designs is that the cost of the track is high because the materials are expensive and the track must be carefully supported at short intervals along the hill. Maintenance of the track is necessary because of damage done to the track by the sled. The quality of the ride is less than desired due to joint irregularities in the track and no softening of the suspension is incorporated in the sled. Finally, toxicity of some of the current slide materials (usually containing asbestos) is unknown at this time, but is suspected to cause cancer if present in water or air environments.